Rhino Celebrate US Black History Month With Classic Vinyl Reissues
Rhino Records are to honour black music this February with a series of reissues of classic albums.
Supporting the USA’s Black History Month, Rhino will be releasing a limited edition run of some of the finest records by black aritsts, on a rainbow of different colours.
Black History Month, which takes place in February in America and October in the UK, celebrates the outstanding achievements and contributions of people of African and Caribbean descent and acknowledging those whose accomplishments have often been overlooked when history was written.
In the US, Black History Month (also know as African American History Month) has been around since 1976, when every successive American president designated February as Black History Month, however since the abolishment of slavery in the US, a handful of historians, including Carter G Woodson and the minister Jesse E Moorland have worked to promote the achievements of black African Americans, with the group the Association For The Study Of African American Life And History (ASALH) sponsoring a national “Negro History Week” in February 1926.
By the late 60s, “Negro History Week” had evolved into Black History Month and since 1976 has been part of school curricula and beyond.
Rhino will be celebrating with a series of high-profile vinyl reissues, as well as first-ever digital releases, initiatives and collaborations.
Kicking off on 5th February, Rhino will be working with selected independent retailers across the UK to offer prints of alternative covers for each of the limited edition vinyl releases re-imagined by a young artist of colour. These prints will be offered as a gift with purchase for each of the eight vinyl titles that are part of the campaign.
Throughout the month, fans can visit rhino.com for testimonials from each visual artist about the way these albums influence their life, art, and outlook.
The classic albums getting the vinyl reissue treatment are George Benson’s Breezin’, Donny Hathaway’s A Donny Hathaway Collection, Curtis Mayfield’s Roots, Ray Charles‘ The Best Of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years, Chaka Khan’s Epiphany: The Best Of Chaka Khan, Vol, 1, Lil’ Kim’s The Notorious K.I.M, Aretha Franklin’s Young, Gifted And Black, and Sheila E’s The Glamorous Life.
Elsewhere, a selection of albums will be available digitally for the first time. These will be: The Jungle Brothers’ Done By The Forces Of Nature, Baby Huey’s The Baby Huey Story: Living Legend, Tevin Campbell’s I’m Ready, Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s Mecca And The Soul Brother, Jimmy & Vella’s Jimmy & Vella, Rhasaan Roland Kirk’s The Case Of The Three Sided Dream In Audio Color, Nina Simone’s Folksy Nina and Blackbird, Adina Howard’s Welcome To Fantasy Island and Donny Hathaway’s Live At The Bitter End.